Product Cover

Treating Health Anxiety

A Cognitive-Behavioral Approach

Steven Taylor and Gordon J. G. Asmundson

Hardcover
Hardcover
February 13, 2004
ISBN 9781572309982
Price: $49.00
299 Pages
Size: 6" x 9"
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Grounded in current theory and treatment research, this highly practical book presents a comprehensive framework for assessing and treating health anxiety, including full-blown and milder (subclinical) forms of hypochondriasis. The current state of knowledge about these prevalent and costly problems is reviewed, and assessment methods and empirically supported treatments described. Clear, step-by-step recommendations are provided for engaging patients or clients, implementing carefully planned cognitive and behavioral interventions, and troubleshooting potential pitfalls. Important advances in pharmacotherapy for persons with health anxiety disorders are also discussed. Enhancing the utility of this clinician- and student-friendly resource are numerous case examples and sample dialogues, quick-reference tables and boxed material, and over 20 reproducible handouts and assessment forms.

“A very impressive, practical, and comprehensive book that is up to date and addresses the challenges in treating health anxiety, including hypochondriasis. It is rich with examples of how health anxiety presents in different patients and provides numerous practical techniques that are easily adapted into clinical practice....This is a great book...presented in a straightforward and practical manner. It is rich with practical examples about the many techniques that have some empirical support.”

Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic


“Taylor and Asmundson do a commendable job of carefully reviewing many of the most common cognitive distortions and review many of the related catastrophic images associated with such distortions....Both within the text and in its appendix, the authors provide a wealth of diagnostic and assessment instruments that can be of great benefit to those working, or wishing to work, in this area....This text could be easily included in any graduate clinical psychology training program which includes courses in behavioral medicine....The book's strengths include its thoroughness and provision of various scales, procedures, strategies and guidelines to deal with health anxious patients. Primarily aimed at adults, the procedures and treatment strategies are easily and directly applicable to children and adolescents.”

Child & Family Behavior Therapy


“A comprehensive overview of the nature, assessment, and treatment of health anxiety disorders....Makes an extremely important contribution to the literature by providing the first published book on the treatment of health anxiety disorders. The CBT strategies outlined in the text and illustrated by numerous case examples, sample dialogue, and reproducible handouts and assessment questionnaires make this text an invaluable resource for practicing clinicians and students alike.”

Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment


“A very impressive, practical, and comprehensive book that is up to date and addresses the challenges in treating health anxiety, including hypochondriasis. It is rich with examples of how health anxiety presents in different patients and provides numerous practical techniques that are easily adapted into clinical practice.”

Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic


“This is a well-written book....a useful tool for those of us who invariably will face such cases in our professional lifethe 'difficult-to-treat patients'....It is an easy-to-read book that would make a valuable addition to any clinician's personal library.”

Psychiatric Services


“A valuable summary of background and treatment information on a disruptive condition. It is highly recommended, particularly for the CBT-oriented practitioner.”

Journal of Clinical Psychiatry


“This excellent volume provides a comprehensive, scholarly, and well-organized discussion of health anxiety, rigorously addressing both what we know and don't know about it. Treatment is discussed in a way that is both conceptually elegant and practically useful. Filling a gap in the literature, this is an extremely valuable resource for the student and the clinician interested in learning about health anxiety and its treatment.”

—Arthur J. Barsky, MD, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School


“Taylor and Asmundson, two of the most respected experts on this topic, have assembled the world's first book on treating health anxiety and hypochondriasis. The authors have achieved a perfect balance between reviewing the available research, setting forth a coherent theoretical framework, and providing detailed, practical advice for clinicians. This comprehensive book is rich in clinical case material, and is filled with helpful tables and handouts. It is ideal for practitioners, researchers, and students with an interest in health anxiety. All future books on health anxiety will surely be measured against this outstanding text.”

—Martin M. Antony, PhD, ABPP, Anxiety Treatment and Research Centre, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada


“Taylor and Asmundson have written a unique, state-of-the-art, and truly evidence-based book in which empirical findings and clinical applications are linked in an exemplary fashion. A wealth of information is provided on understanding and treating health anxiety and hypochondriasis from a cognitive-behavioral perspective. The book's message is aptly conveyed by its clear presentation of research summaries, practical guidelines, and case illustrations. Both researchers and clinicians will find this book a real asset. It may also serve as a comprehensive text for advanced students, interns, and residents in mental health disciplines.”

—Theo K. Bouman, PhD, Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Groningen, The Netherlands

Table of Contents

1. What Is Health Anxiety?

2. Body and Mind: Biological and Cognitive Factors

3. Behavioral Factors and Their Consequences

4. Learning Experiences and the Development of Health Anxiety

5. Treatments: A Review of the Research

6. Assessment and Case Formulation

7. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy: An Overview

8. Treatment Engagement Strategies

9. Cognitive Interventions

10. Behavioral Methods

11. Stress Management

12. Extending and Maintaining Treatment Gains

Appendices: Instruments for Assessing Health Anxiety


About the Authors

Steven Taylor, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia. He is Associate Editor of the Journal of Obsessive–Compulsive and Related Disorders and previously served as Editor of the Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy and Associate Editor of Behaviour Research and Therapy. Dr. Taylor's research focuses on the etiology and treatment of anxiety and related disorders, conceptualized from a biopsychosocial perspective. His work has been recognized with awards from the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, and the Canadian Psychological Association, among others. He has authored over 300 scientific journal articles and book chapters and several books.

Gordon J. G. Asmundson, PhD, is professor and research director in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies at the University of Regina, Canada, and adjunct professor of psychiatry at the University of Saskatchewan. He has published more than 110 journal articles and book chapters, as well as several books, and served as a member of the DSM-IV Text Revision Work Group for the Anxiety Disorders. An active clinical researcher and research supervisor, Dr. Asmundson has received several prestigious early career awards. His current interests include assessment and basic mechanisms of the anxiety disorders, health anxiety, and acute and chronic pain, and the association of these with disability and behavior change.

Audience

Cognitive-behavioral therapists; clinicians of other orientations interested in health anxiety and its treatment; graduate students and residents in the full range of mental health fields; physicians and nurse practitioners in primary care.

Course Use

Serves as a text in graduate-level courses and residency programs.